


Mementos

by Amy Raine (amyraine)



Series: Best of Avatar 500 [6]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Memories, Mild Language, Pregnancy, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-07
Updated: 2012-03-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 14:50:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/358063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyraine/pseuds/Amy%20Raine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Toph is good at keeping secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mementos

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "Red" for the Avatar 500 lj community

Toph returned from the Fire Nation wearing a new red outfit.

"You changed your clothes." Katara said.

"Yep."

"So, how was your trip? Anything exciting happen?"

"Nope."

"Where are you headed next? Back up north to teach more metalbending classes?"

"Don't know yet," said Toph, and promptly threw up.

*****

"So, you're pregnant," Sokka said.

"Uh-huh."

"How is it?"

Toph rolled her eyes. "You should know, what with that gaggle of kids you and Suki popped out."

Above them, Suki's voice drifted down, reading a tale about Avatar Kyoshi. For once, their children were making no sound.

"So, who's the dad?" Sokka asked.

Toph drained the rest of her teacup and stood, the red shirt still flat against her belly. "I'm going to bed. Thanks for putting me up for the night."

Sokka took another sip of his own tea and pictured Toph telling stories to her child, reciting them from memory. It wasn't hard to imagine.

*****

"I'm fine," Toph grumbled.

"I know," Katara said, fluffing the pillows. "I checked. Baby's growing big and strong. But you still need to rest. All this traveling you do would be hard on anyone." After a pause, she said, "Do you want to know what it is?"

"You can tell?"

"At this point, yes." She hugged her. "It's a girl."

*****

"Not much of a city," Toph said, wiggling her toes in the dirt.

"Not yet." said Aang. "But it will be, someday."

Toph stroked her belly, the huge hard ball of it straining the red fabric. "I think I'll have the baby here."

He squeezed her shoulder. "That would be great."

*****

Katara emerged from the birthing room with a bundle in her arms. The infant's eyes were wide open in a vermillion face, her little fists balled and punching through the blanket.

"Her eyes are blue-gray," Sokka observed.

"They probably won't stay that way," Katara said.

"What color do you think they'll be?" Aang asked.

"They could go golden," Zuko said. "The kids' eyes started out that color before they changed."

"Or they could be green!" shouted Toph from inside the room. "Not that I could tell anyway! Can I have my daughter back now?"

Chuckling, Katara brought the baby to her, then shooed everyone away and shut the door. In her mother's arms, the child closed her eyes. Toph sat back against the pillows, cradled her in one hand, and with the other reached into her shirt to pull out a ring on a chain. Along the inside was an inscription in tiny characters.

*****

" _You know I can't read, right?_

" _So I'll tell you what it says, and you'll just have to remember."_

" _Okay. What does it say?"_

" _Remember me."_

" _Smartass." And she had punched him in the shoulder, then kissed him._


End file.
